María Sánchez Melero

CETEM – Project Manager

María works as a European Project Manager in CETEM’s International Projects Department and is currently the Coordinator of the ALLVIEW project. She specialises in designing, developing and implementing international R&D projects focused on innovation in the furniture and related sectors.

With a degree in Journalism and a Masters in Sustainability and Social Responsibility Management, she brings a unique blend of communication, sustainability and event management skills to her role.

Roberta Dall’Olio

EURADA – Director

Roberta Dall’Olio, born 1960. Director of Eurada European Network of Regional Development Agencies since november 2022, former President of Eurada, expert for Integrated Strategic Projects for Territory, Attractiveness and Participation Area in ART-ER, former Head of ART-ER  International and Territorial Cooperation, Social Innovation Unit. Member of EC working groups (SME ENVOY-DG Regio, JUST TRANSITION -DG Regio,  CPR Partners DG Grow) and of OECD Leed Programme Directing Committee. Her assignments imply design, management and technical assistance in EU and international and territorial cooperation projects (in cooperation with International Organizations like UNDP, UNIDO, OECD, the National Agency for International Cooperation AICS, EU Delegations and international implementers like GIZ, NIRAS) on institution and capacity building, regional and local development, Regional and Local development Agencies, social economy and social innovation, participation and Culture and creativity, urban regeneration in the European Union countries and in Albania, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey, Lebanon, Libya, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Ethiopia. As Unit Manager and Director of Eurada she is used to coordinate international teams 

Graduated in Law, Bologna University, with a master in European Union Policies, she collaborated with Nomisma, on research on industrial policies at regional level. She is a trainer and speaker at international level on European Union, local development and social innovation policies. From 1994 to 1988 she was in charge of the EU Unit of ASTER, Emilia-Romagna Agency for Technological Development. Employed in ERVET since 1998, she has been a member of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of EURADA (European Association of Regional Development Agencies) since 1998. She is Italian mother tongue and she is fluent in English, French, and Spanish . 

Marta Serrano

EURADA

Born in Spain, and with a degree in Foreign Languages, Marta joined EURADA in January 2022. Over years she has acquired a wide expertise in the design and management of training, research and innovation projects for SMEs being committed to the Enterprise Europe Network. She is an expert manager in educational and vocational training projects. For the last three years she has been in charge of the ALLVIEW Blueprint design for improving education and VET programmes in the Wood and Furniture sector. Since 2018 she is president of an Italian non-profit organisation aimed at enhancing human capital skills and SMEs’ competitiveness in the Sports industry.

Jens Hofman

Head of digital project ventures at SBG Dresden (VET provider)

 As the Head of Digital Project Ventures at SBG Dresden, Hofman leads the development of Extended Reality (XR) applications for workplace and classroom settings, guiding projects from in concept to practical implementation in craftsmanship and industry training. In his role as the Head of the Learning Lab for Didactic Innovations at SBG Dresden, he ensures the pedagogically sound integration of cutting-edge educational technologies such as AI, XR, XR haptics, and 3D scanning into practical VET training and trainer qualification programs. Additionally, Jens Hofman is a frequent speaker at conferences, sharing insights on educational technologies and innovations in vocational training. His background includes the study of chemistry and business. 

Hélène Barry

Project officer at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)

Hélène has been working in the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) since 2006.  She has more than 30 years of experience working with EU programmes in the area of education, research and vocational training. She has coordinated calls for proposals and advised projects for youth, adult education and vocational excellence. Hélène is dedicated to helping projects achieving their goals and improve education for all European citizen

María Victoria Bueno Delgado

Associate Professor and European Project Manager at the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT)

María Victoria Bueno Delgado is an Associate Professor and European Project Manager at the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT). She holds a Ph.D. in Telecommunications Engineering. Since 2004, she has been working as a researcher in the Department of Information Technologies and Communications at UPCT, leading and participating in more than 30 national and international research projects, as well as collaborations with companies. She is the author and co-author of over 100 publications in high-impact journals and conferences. Additionally, she is the co-founder of E-Lighthouse Network Solutions, a spin-off focused on network planning and optimization. In the ALLVIEW project, Victoria has been leading WP1 with the development of the ALLVIEW platform, which includes a machine learning engine with recommendation algorithms for the ad-hoc design of learning pathways. 

Gabriella Kemendi

Secretary General at EFIC – European Furniture Industries Confederation

Gabriella Kemendi is Secretary General at the European Furniture Industries Confederation – EFIC – since 2019. Before joining EFIC, she worked at the international consultancy Kellen for several trade associations in different public and regulatory affairs roles. Before that, she worked for the European Commission’s information Service Europe Direct. Gabriella has a background in Translation and Interpretation and EU law.

Florence Kuijl

Communication Manager – InnovaWood, NEB Academy

Florence Kuijl holds an MSc in International Relations with a specialisation in Communications. With over 15 years of experience, she has led communication and dissemination strategies for projects funded by the European Commission and other organisations. Currently, Florence serves as the Communication Manager at InnovaWood, the European Network for Wood Research, Innovation, and Education, based in Brussels. InnovaWood represents approximately 80 members, including universities, research and technology organizations (RTOs), and clusters across 30 countries.

Florence is actively involved in a variety of European-funded projects related to sustainable development, circular economy, wood construction and the New European Bauhaus (NEB). These include the New European Bauhaus Academy, digiNEB (the NEB community for digital solutions, projects, and tools), BASAJAUN (focused on sustainable wood construction for rural development and urban transformation), and INGUMA (dedicated to bio-based, holistically created buildings). Additionally, she is involved in the communication activities of the Wood4Bauhaus Alliance, a major initiative led by InnovaWood that brings together Europe’s leading wood-related sectoral associations.

Julio Rodrigo

Head of the Innovation & Sustainability Department (AMBIT)

Julio Rodrigo has been the head of the Innovation & Sustainability Department of AMBIT – Living Spaces Cluster since June 2015. Part-time associate professor in Environmental Management at the Rovira i Virgili University. He has extensive experience in working and coordinating R+D+i projects in the fields of sustainability, circular economy, digitalization and training (Erasmus+). He has participated in around 145 national projects and 35 EU projects. 

Jacqueline de Kok-Hoeksema

Coordinator of the sustainability team (HMC) and author

Jacqueline works as coordinator of the sustainability team at the Wood and Furniture College in the Netherlands. She has participated in the ALLVIEW-project in recent years, where she organized exchanges for teachers and students with the Italian partners. The success and value motivated her to start working as an exchange coordinator for the HMC in the coming year. 

In addition, with a university background in educational science and communication, she likes to contribute as an author to the development of teaching materials for different levels of education in the Netherlands. 

Massimiliano Rumignani

Project manager

Massimiliano Rumignani has been working for AMBIT – Living Spaces Cluster on ERASMUS+ projects since June 2014, acquiring extensive knowledge of the EU vocational training system in the furniture sector. He has extensive experience in working and managing EU projects (more than 40). He has acquired in-depth knowledge on topics such as quality assurance in VET and EU projects, circular economy and digitalisation in the furniture sector. 

Alessia Di Francesca

Vice Director/Project Office Manager

Alessia Di Francesca holds a degree in Industrial Design with a specialization in Product Design for Innovation from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Throughout her career, she has gained practical experience in product design and prototyping, training others and experimenting with the most innovative technologies, processes, and methodologies.

In her role at CEIPES, Alessia has acquired extensive experience in project management, particularly in the development and implementation of European projects funded by various EU programs, such as Erasmus+, CREA, CERV, AMIF, and many others. Currently, she serves as the Vice Director and is responsible for the project office, where she has developed deep expertise in coordinating and managing staff teams. Her main responsibilities include training, monitoring, and evaluating CEIPES staff performance within the project office.

In the context of the Allview project, CEIPES, represented by Alessia, played a key role in leading the entire project dissemination. Furthermore, Alessia was responsible for driving the work package dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), once again demonstrating her management and leadership abilities in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Francisco Melero

Leader of the International Unit for Collaborative Research and Innovation CETEM

Dr. Francisco Melero leads CETEM’s International Unit for Collaborative Research and Innovation, focusing on driving innovation in traditional industries. With extensive experience in educational projects supporting the green and digital transitions, he has played a key role in initiatives such as IN4WOOD, ECOSIGN, and FURN360, aimed at modernizing sectors like the furniture industry by fostering sustainability and innovation.